Riders’ O’Day prepares for unique CFL draft

Jeremy O’Day is preparing for a unique CFL draft class in 2021.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager needs to determine how he will fill holes in the team’s roster, but he’s doing so without a season to look back on and without a chance to see what his 2020 picks bring to the team.

“Because of that, you already have a whole incoming class and you’re drafting on top of that as well as all the other teams,” O’Day said Monday. “If you sprinkle in the amount of players who have gone to the NFL this year but also the amount of guys that are returning back to the NCAA for a transitional year — which are considered future guys — it’s a unique year compared to any other year.”

The Roughriders currently hold the second overall pick in Tuesday’s draft. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are to pick first, barring a trade.

Due to the cancellation of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 public health measures, the draft order was chosen randomly and it will be a snake draft, meaning the order will reverse every round.

Last year, the Roughriders took University of Saskatchewan Huskies offensive lineman Mattland Riley seventh overall.

“When you’re not picking No. 1, you never really guarantee you’ll get the guy you think you’re going to pick,” O’Day said. “Obviously you have a name in mind of who you’re going to pick … Fortunately for us we pick (at two) so we’re going to get a good player.”

It was yet another unique scouting process for CFL teams with the 2021 draft.

In 2020, a majority of workouts and combines were cancelled, meaning there weren’t any test numbers for teams to look at.

This year, athletes across the globe filmed and recorded their own combine test results and sent them to CFL teams.

“Guys were more prepared (and) agents were more prepared knowing what we went through last year,” O’Day said. “Last year was probably more of a scramble.”

O’Day said when the Roughriders make their pick, they want to try and take the best player available.

“There’s a wide range of ways that we can go on our roster as far as who we select,” he said. “Last year we took an offensive lineman in the first round. The year before, we took a wide receiver in the first round. When we look at our roster, we obviously do a strong evaluation and look at ourselves in the mirror when we look at our Canadians and our depth.

“There’s also a factor that we bring in and that’s who is going to fit the role that’s going to contribute right away and make us the best team this year.”

The draft gets underway at 5 p.m.